FDA investigating aspects related to Armstrong case

Feb. 6, 2013
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In this Monday, Jan. 14, 2013, file photo provided by Harpo Studios Inc., Lance Armstrong listens as he is interviewed by talk show host Oprah Winfrey during taping for the show "Oprah and Lance Armstrong: The Worldwide Exclusive" in Austin, Texas. / George Burns, AP

by Brent Schrotenboer, USA TODAY Sports

by Brent Schrotenboer, USA TODAY Sports

The Food and Drug Administration continues to look into loose ends related to the Lance Armstrong case after the famed cyclist confessed last month that he used performance-enhancing drugs during each of his seven wins in the Tour de France.

The FDA's original case against Armstrong goes back years and once reached into other parts of the cycling world. Sarah Clark-Lynn, a spokeswoman for the FDA, said it's an "ongoing matter" but said the agency is not currently investigating Armstrong as an individual target. She declined further comment.

The agency, which regulates food and drug safety, instead is pursuing other aspects of the broader case.

Led by special agent Jeff Novitzky, an FDA investigation previously almost led to criminal fraud charges against Armstrong before the case was dropped last year without explanation by U.S. Attorney Andre Birotte Jr.

Birotte said Tuesday that case remains closed against Armstrong.

"When the U.S. Attorney's Office declines to prosecute an individual or entity, typically law enforcement agencies do not pursue further investigative activities," Clark-Lynn said. "That said, this is an ongoing matter for the agency."

Novitzky previously had become a nemesis for Armstrong and other athletes suspected of using performance-enhancing drugs, including baseball stars Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens. Novitzky helped build the case against Armstrong for the U.S. Attorney, only to see it dropped without explanation by Birotte in February 2012.

When Birotte dropped the case, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency picked it up and gathered evidence that showed Armstrong had been doping for years and that he intimidated witnesses who dared to speak the truth about it. The evidence also depicted him as a ringleader who forced other riders to dope as well.

After the evidence came out in October, Armstrong admitted last month to using banned drugs and blood transfusions from the mid-1990s through 2005, when he won the last of his seven titles in the Tour de France. He previously had denied it for more than a decade.

Armstrong, 41, has been banned for life from sanctioned sporting events and stripped of his seven titles in the Tour de France.

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